Contribute your creativityGoogle Nano Banana (now 2.1) or FLUX 3 Image? A side-by-side look at references, resolution, layout control and access.
| Nano Banana | Flux | |
|---|---|---|
| Current model | Nano Banana 2.1 model card (October 6, 2026); Nano Banana 2 launched February 26, 2026 | FLUX 3 Image (October 1, 2026) |
| References | Up to five characters and 14 objects kept consistent, per Google | Up to ten reference images |
| Resolution | 512px to 4K | 768 square up to 4K |
| Layout control | Instruction following and editing | Bounding boxes and pixel-exact local edits |
| Where you use it | Gemini app, Search, Gemini API, Vertex AI | BFL API (per image) and many apps |
| Best for | Everyday editing and consistency inside Google tools | Exact placement and developer pipelines |
Nano Banana 2 for convenience and consistent subjects; FLUX 3 Image for exact layout, many references and API workflows. Both reach 4K.
Both makers highlight multi-reference work and high resolution. They differ in where you use them and how precisely you can position elements.
Provide the same three reference images to both and ask for a new composition that combines them; compare how well each keeps the details.
Read the reviews of Nano Banana and Flux, see the AI model tracker for versions and sources, or browse all comparisons.